Jun 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners reliever Andres Munoz (75) reacts after pitching the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports Stephen Brashear
In Dave Dombrowski's year-end press conference he gave an answer that might ultimately be seen as a precursor for how the Phillies' president of baseball operations will operate this offseason.
"We have to be open minded to exploring what's out there for us, talk to some clubs and see whats happening," Dombrowski said. "That process hasn't started, sometimes you trade good players for good players."
Beyond some of the top pieces in their farm system, the Phillies do have some controllable pieces — Alec Bohm, Ranger Suárez and Brandon Marsh, among others — who could be of interest if they are targeting a swap for a player who could make an immediate impact for them in 2025.
With both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez having reached the free agent market, high-leverage relief pitching is the most-pressing need for the Phillies currently. The Phillies could bring one of those two back, and/or target veteran free-agent relievers like Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott or Clay Holmes in free agency. The trade market, though, is an avenue worth exploring.
From @TimKellySports: Blake Treinen Would Make Sense As Bullpen Target For Phillieshttps://t.co/XxRokDDvrX
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) November 11, 2024
Obviously, two star closers — Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals and Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers — are at the forefront of the relief market this offseason. It may be worth paying, but the price to land either of those two will likely be precipitous.
So here's a look at five other high-leverage relief pitchers that the Phillies could potentially target via trade.
Doval recorded 66 saves while posting a 2.73 ERA for the Giants between 2022 and 2023, making the NL All-Star team in the second of those seasons.
However, 2024 was a disastrous campaign for Doval, who finished with a 4.88 ERA over 62 games for the Giants. That's led to "a few teams" inquiring on his availability, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle.
The 27-year-old is arbitration eligible for the first time in 2025, with Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors projecting he'll earn $4.6 million. Because he can't become a free agent until after the 2027 season, new president of baseball operations Buster Posey will likely have a high asking price for Doval.
Local fans likely don't have fond memories involving Pressly, as he closed out the 2022 World Series victory for the Astros over the Phillies.
Pressly is a two-time All-Star who recorded 90 saves for the Astros between 2021 and 2023. He wasn't Houston's closer in 2024 after the team signed Josh Hader. Pressly's output in 2024 was underwhelming by his standards, as he posted a 3.49 ERA over 59 games.
Given that Pressly is due $14 million in 2025, it's not particularly surprising that Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported earlier this month that the Astros "have had internal discussions" about potentially dealing Pressly, who will turn 36 in December.
The Phillies would probably have to believe Pressly could be their closer to take on even 75% of the money owed to him in 2025, but he likely would require the smallest trade return of anyone on this list.
A side note: Pressly's closer entrance to Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" is about as good as any in the sport now.
Would the Mariners trade Muñoz? Well, if they are interested in Bohm — as FanSided's Robert Murray previously suggested — it's definitely worth finding out.
The Mariners are desperate for offense, and president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto loves making trades, so trying to take advantage of both of those things wouldn't be a bad strategy for Dombrowski and the Phillies.
Muñoz recorded 22 of 27 save attempts this past season, posting a 2.12 ERA and making his first All-Star Game appearance. Muñoz will only be 26 in January, and is signed to a very team-friendly contract that will pay him just $3.4 million in 2025. He then has affordable club options that would pay him $6 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027 and $10 million in 2028 if excercised.
Again, DiPoto likes making trades, probably to a fault. So there's nothing wrong with making him say no on Muñoz, particularly if he's trying to pry Bohm away.
The Rays are always willing to consider trading anyone making any sort of money, even if it's on a team-friendly deal. That makes Fairbanks an interesting name to watch.
Fairbanks is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract — which will pay him just $3.6 million — but has an affordable club option for $7 million in 2026.
Over the last two seasons, Fairbanks has recorded 48 saves in 56 attempts (86%) while posting a 3.08 ERA. He's the type of pitcher you could acquire and use as a closer or your top set-up man if you land a better option to close.
Pete Fairbanks, Nasty Sliders. 😨 pic.twitter.com/IjD0yGuCh3
There's no other way to put it — 2024 was a trainwreck for Bednar. He posted a 5.77 ERA across 62 games for the Pirates. There's almost nothing positive to say about 2024 as far as Bednar is concerned.
With that acknowledged, Bednar was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, posting a 2.27 ERA and recording 58 saves. A year ago, teams would have been ecstatic to add him into their bullpen.
The 30-year-old has two more seasons before free agency, which means the Pirates probably won't trade him this winter. But like with Muñoz, there's no harm in making the Pirates say no. Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting is notoriously cheap. We'll see if he changes that now that the club has a window of possible contention with NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. If not, trading Bednar — who is projected to earn $6.6 million in his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility — could be a way for general manager Ben Cherington to open up some money to spend elsewhere on the roster.
As Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors pointed out, most teams wouldn't think twice about keeping Bednar for that price and hoping he rebounds. But when you have an owner that hamstrings the front office by providing such little resources, it can sometimes lead to trades that big spenders wouldn't think about making.
